The Replacement Killers (1998)

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writer (WGA):

Ken Sanzel (written by)

Release Date:

6 February 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Kill or be replaced.

Plot:

Failing to kill anymore because of his conscience, a troubled hit-man seeks aid from a forger to help him get papers to China. However, the drug-lord has hired replacements to finish the job and kill the hit-man.

Plot Keywords:

Passport | Replacement | Hitman | Police | Drug Lord

Cast

Yun-Fat Chow	...	John Lee (as Chow Yun-Fat)
Mira Sorvino	...	Meg Coburn
Michael Rooker	...	Stan 'Zeedo' Zedkov
Kenneth Tsang	...	Terence Wei
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Michael Kogan (as Jurgen Prochnow)
Til Schweiger	...	Ryker
Danny Trejo	...	Collins
Clifton Collins Jr.	...	Loco (as Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez)
Carlos Gómez	...	Hunt (as Carlos Gomez)
Frank Medrano	...	Rawlins
Leo Lee	...	Lam
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	Pryce
Randall Duk Kim	...	Alan Chan
Andrew J. Marton	...	Stevie
Sydney Coberly	...	Sara

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and for language.

Runtime:

87 min | USA:96 min (extended cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | France:-12 | USA:Unrated (extended version) | Finland:K-16 (VHS) (1998) | Finland:K-18 (35 mm) (1998) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Philippines:R-18 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Canada:18A | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Ennis-Brown House - 2655 Glendower Avenue, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Brillstein-Grey Entertainment

Trivia:

The Chinese character engraved on Lee's bullets means "death".

Goofs:

Factual errors: When John Lee is about shoot his mark (the son of Stan 'Zeedo' Zedkov), the scope cover on the front of the scope is not the correct type of cover. Typically, the red buttoned scope cover is used at the rear side of the scope. Butler Creek makes these type of scope covers and the red buttoned one's are designated as "rear scope cover".

Quotes:

[Kogan is stalking Meg]
Michael Kogan: You could save me time. Put a bullet in your head. I'd do the same for you if our positions were reversed.
[he becomes distracted, then she appears behind him]
Meg Coburn: Are you going to?
Michael Kogan: What?
Meg Coburn: Put a bullet in your head, now that our positions are reversed.
Michael Kogan: [attempts to laugh] Meg, it doesn't -
[he wheels around, she shoots him dead]
Meg Coburn: I didn't think so.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Escape From The City Of Angels

Hits the center of the bulls-eye with hair-raising accuracy.

Wild and absolutely menacing thriller involving Chow Yun-Fat (in his American film debut) as John Lee, a quiet yet resourceful hit-man who along with a sarcastic forger, Meg Coburn (Mira Sorvino), become involved when Lee refuses to take out someone close to a cop (Michael Rooker), who shot and killed his mobster boss' drug-dealing son during a drug bust and in the process, Coburn and Lee are also targeted by his superiors.

It's a brilliant debut for Yun-Fat and director Antoine Fuqua ("Bait", "Training Day"), both of whom show their skills with such respect. Some of the shoot-outs that take place in some areas that you wouldn't even think of (car wash, alley, movie theater, etc.). Plus, the cinematographer Peter Lyons Collister and composer Harry Gregson-Williams excell in making the movie even more entertaining. The scenery has a very colorful and artistic look to it and the music doesn't get too loud. I think of the movie as "Lethal Weapon" made like in the style of John Woo, who is one of the film's producers.

"The Replacement Killers" certainly hits the center of the bulls-eye with hair-raising accuracy.